Archive For: –LNTM Okeechobee News

PLEASE CAREFULLY READ OUR DISCLAIMER!Below you will discover extracts the Salty Southeast Cruisers’ Net has copied from the Local Notice to Mariners, that concern the Okeechobee Waterway. The choice of what to extract is based on our appraisal of news that is of primary interest to the cruising community, and should not in any way be considered a comprehensive relisting of all the information that is available in the Local Notice to Mariners’ various editions.
Also, please note that LNTM extracts are listed below in chronological order, based on publishing date.

Thanks for helping to get the word out!
Erica
Erica Skolte
Public Affairs Specialist
Corporate Communications Office
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District
South Florida Restoration Office, West Palm Beach

Our thanks to Communications Specialist Erica Skolte of the Jacksonville USACE for this notice.

All,
US Army Corps of Engineers is preparing for impacts from Hurricane Matthew. We have adjusted the operating hours at the locks on the Okeechobee Waterway, and are ensuring users of our recreation facilities are aware they may need to evacuate. More information is attached and copied below.
Please contact me if you have questions. Thanks for your help.
John H Campbell SAJ

As Hurricane Matthew makes its way through the Caribbean islands, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District is preparing to respond as needed and providing information to boaters and campers on operational adjustments that will take place at navigation locks and recreation facilities.

The Jacksonville District activated its emergency operations center (EOC) at 7 a.m. today (Oct. 4). This action allows district staff to devote added attention to the response actions that might be necessary should Matthew cause impacts as it passes near Florida.

“Our staff is coordinating with state and local officials,” said Candida Bronson, Acting Operations Division Chief for Jacksonville District. “We are adjusting our operations to ensure the safety of those who use our facilities and our staff in south Florida.”

Jacksonville District is issuing the following guidance on its operations in south Florida:
* For boaters, the Corps has extended operating hours for its navigation locks on the Okeechobee Waterway; they will operate from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday (Oct. 4) and Wednesday (Oct. 5). Operating hours on Thursday will depend on the track of the storm. To ensure safety of lock operators, the Corps will suspend operations when lightning is in the area, or when winds exceed 35 mph.
* For campers and visitors to recreation sites, Jacksonville District park rangers will monitor conditions at Corps’ campgrounds and recreation areas. If a county government issues an evacuation order for mobile homes or RV parks in an area where there is a Corps’ campground or recreational facility, rangers will order an evacuation of the facility and advise on shelter locations. Visitors should move all campers, motor homes, tents, vessels, and trailers from facilities under evacuation orders.
* Today, field staff are conducting a pre-storm evaluation of the Herbert Hoover Dike surrounding Lake Okeechobee. The current lake stage is 15.78 feet. While no immediate threat exists, the Corps advises people living and working around the lake to be prepared to take action should conditions warrant.

Until this vegetation is cleared, whether you take the rim route or the lake route, you are going to be delayed in crossing Lake Okeechobee. We will keep you posted as notices come in from the Corp of Engineers.

Notice is given that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is advising commercial and recreational vessels to use extreme caution traveling the Okeechobee Waterway Route 2 from Port Mayaca to Clewiston and Rim Canal from Clewiston to Moore Haven due to floating vegetation blocking sections of canal. Read More

Corps of Engineers is working to clear blocked areas as quickly as possible when found. Point of contact is Carl Williams at 863-983-8101.
Thanks for helping to get the word out!
Erica
Erica Skolte
Public Affairs Specialist
Corporate Communications Office
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District
South Florida Restoration Office, West Palm Beach

The local notice below is standard USCG procedure, but caution is still the proper watchword. Of course, such nav aid damage may well extend all along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts.

SOUTH CAROLINA – GEORGIA – FLORIDA
DUE TO THE PASSAGE OF HURRICANE HERMINE, AIDS TO NAVIGATION, STRUCTURES OR PLATFORMS MAY BE DAMAGED, DESTROYED OR SUBMERGED. LIGHTED AND UNLIGHTED BUOYS MAY MOVE FROM ASSIGNED POSITIONS, BE DAMAGED, EXTINGUISHED, SINK, OR OTHERWISE MADE INOPERATIVE. MARINERS SHOULD NOT RELY COMPLETELY UPON THE POSITION OR OPERATION OF AN AID TO NAVIGATION IN THESE AREAS, BUT SHOULD ALSO EMPLOY SUCH OTHER METHODS OF DETERMINING POSITION AS MAY BE AVAILABLE. WRECKS AND SUBMERGED OBSTRUCTIONS MAY MOVE FROM CHARTED LOCATIONS AND PIPELINES MAY BECOME UNCOVERED OR MOVE DUE TO THE FORCE OF STORM SURGE. MARINERS ARE URGED TO USE EXTREME CAUTION AND REPORT ALL AIDS TO NAVIGATION DISCREPANCIES TO THE NEAREST COAST GUARD UNIT. LNM 36/16

With the 2016 hurricane season underway, this is valuable information for boaters navigating the Ockeechobee Waterway or the Canaveral Barge Canal in South Florida. This notice comes to us from our good friend, Specialist Erica Skolte, US Army Corp of Engineers.

1. Notice to Navigation
Notice is given that 72 hours prior to a Tropical Storm or Hurricane making local landfall locks will be open 6 AM to 10 PM supporting vessel safe harbor passage. Lock operations will stop 8 hours prior to land fall as Rail Road and drawbridges will be lowered or rotated and locked into a secure position. It’s important that all vessels are at their intended destination before bridges are secured and passage across the waterway suspended.
For Lock Operator safety the locks will:
1. Stop locking vessels or working outdoors if lightning is observed within five miles of the lock and
operations will not resume until lightning has not been seen in the area for 30 minutes.
2. Stop locking vessels when winds exceed 35 MPH.
After a storm it could be days or weeks before the waterway is reopen depending on damage to structures and
how quickly debris creating navigation hazards can be removed.For up to date Lock information contact the shift operator 7 AM to 5 PM at:
Canaveral Lock 321-783-5421
St Lucie Lock & Dam 772-287-2665
Port Mayaca Lock & Dam 561-924-2858
Moore Haven Lock & Dam 863-946-0414
Ortona Lock & Dam 863-675-0616
WP Franklin Lock & Dam 239-694-5451
//signed//
Digitally signed by WILLIAMS.CARL.MABRY.IV
Date: 2016.08.22 14:57:47 -04’00’
Chief Navigation & Flood Risk Management
South Florida Operations

All rim route users are aware that culvert replacement has been and will continue to be an ongoing process (November of 2017!). However, here is another construction site for your logbook.

FLORIDA – OKEECHOBEE WATERWAY: Herbert Hoover Dike Rehabilitation Project Culvert 2 – CLEWISTON
Harry Pepper & Associates, Inc. will be replacing one culvert along the Okeechobee Waterway near Clewiston (Culvert C-2) as part of the overall Herbert Hoover Dike Rehabilitation Project sponsored by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Construction will occur 5 to 6 days a week, with the possibility of night time work. Construction consists of steel and earthen cofferdams on both the lakeside and landside of the dike to create a selfcontained
work area. The coordinates for the work site are as follows; 26°45’51″N, 80°55’32″W. Recreational and commercial boaters are asked to use caution when navigating through this section of the waterway west and adjacent to the Hoover Dike Road City Boat Ramp and Clewiston City Marina and Boat Ramp. All vessels should operate as slow to idle speeds with only enough forward movement to maintain control of the vessel. Boaters are responsible for any damage from boat wakes they create. Two (2) obstruction buoys with solar powered lights, reflectorized hazard warning and symbol will be placed at the outermost edge of cofferdams obstructing the waterway to delineate the cofferdam location and guide boaters through the work zone area. Once the culvert replacements are complete, the cofferdams will be removed and waterway restored. The project is anticipated to be completed in November 2017. For further information contact Mike Nelson, 863-902-1303 or mnelson@hpepper.com

Let’s hope we never need this information, but it should definitely be included in your Hurricane Procedures folder.

OKEECHOBEE AND CANAVERAL LOCK OPERATIONS DURING TROPICAL STORMS AND HURRICANES: EFFECTIVE: 08/26/2015
00:00 thru 12/31/2015 24:00 EST (REFERENCES: a. 33 CFR Navigation and Navigable Waters
Notice to Navigation – 72 hours prior to a Tropical Storm or Hurricane making local landfall locks will be open 6:00 AM to 10:00 PM supporting vessel safe harbor passage. Lock operations will stop 8 hours prior to land fall as Rail Road and Drawbridges will be lowered or rotated and locked into a secure position. It’s important that all vessels are at their intended destination before bridges are secured as passage across the waterway suspended.
For Lock Operator safety the locks will:
1. Stop locking vessels or working outdoors if lightning is observed within five miles of the lock and operations will not resume until lightning has not been seen in the area for 30 minutes.
2. Stop locking vessels when winds exceed 35 MPH.
After a storm it could be days or weeks before the waterway is reopen depending on damage to structures and how quickly debris creating navigation hazards can be removed.
For up to date Lock information contact the shift operator 7:00 AM and 5:00 PM at;
Canaveral Lock 321-783-5421
St Lucie Lock & Dam 772-287-2665
Port Mayaca Lock & Dam 561-924-2858
Moore Haven Lock & Dam 863-946-0414
Ortona Lock & Dam 863-675-0616 WP
Franklin Lock & Dam 239-694-5451
Chart 11428 11478 LNM 35/15

FLORIDA – OKEECHOBEE WATERWAY ROUTE 2: Culvert Construction Restricting Navigation
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has multiple contracted companies in the process of replacing culverts along Route 2 of the Okeechobee Waterway from Port Mayaca to Moore Haven as part of the Herbert Hoover Dike Rehabilitation Project. Construction consists of steel and earthen cofferdams on the lakeside and landside of the dike to create a self-contained work area. The waterway will be obstructed during installation and removal of the cofferdams and during the process of replacing culverts. Recreational and commercial boaters are asked to use caution when navigating through these sections of waterway. Buoys, lights and reflectorized hazard signs will be placed at each cofferdam to delineate its location and assist boaters through the work zone. Once culvert replacements are complete, the cofferdams will be removed and waterway restored. Construction will occur 5 to 6 days a week with the possibility of night time work. The projects are anticipated to be completed in 2017. Point of contact is Carl Williams at 863-983-8101. Chart 11428 LNM 28/15

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has applied for a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Jacksonville District to conduct restoration activities on four lakes and water bodies in the FWC’s South Region.
This permit is required pursuant to Section 404 of the Clean Water Act and Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899. The request is part of an overall initiative in which the FWC is working with the Corps to obtain permits for routine restoration work in 95 lakes and water bodies throughout Florida.
The public can review the request and comment on it (see link below).

The following water bodies within the FWC’s South Region are included in the permit application:
•Lake Okeechobee in Glades, Hendry, Okeechobee, Martin and Palm Beach counties;
•Lake Trafford in Collier County;
•Lake Hicpochee in Glades County;
•Lake Osborne in Palm Beach County.

The Corps permitting process requires the opportunity for public comment. The Corps has published a Public Notice for the proposed work on its website at: http://www.saj.usace.army.mil/Missions/Regulatory/PublicNotices.aspx. To view the notice, click on the following file number to open the Public Notice: SAJ-2015-00641 (SP-SLR). If you would like to provide comments or have any questions regarding the Corps permit process, please follow the directions included in the Public Notice. Note that the Web address is case sensitive and should be entered as it appears above.

The Okeechobee Waterway runs parallel to the Palm Beach Glades Airport near statute mile 55, then the waterway makes a dogleg southeast to southwest at Paul Rardin Park near statute mile 58. The area of caution noted below in bold runs from marker #82 to marker #91. The Herbert Hoover Dike Rehabilitation Project has been ongoing since 2012 and not expected to be completed until 2016.

Thalle Construction Company, Inc. is replacing two culverts along the Okeechobee Waterway near Belle Glade, FL (Culverts 12) and Pahokee, FL (Culvert 10) as part of the overall Herbert Hoover Dike Rehabilitation Project sponsored by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Construction consists of the steel and earthen cofferdams on both the lakeside and landside of the dike to create a self-contained work area. The waterway will be obstructed during the installation and removal of the cofferdams and during the process of replacing the culverts. Recreational and commercial boaters are asked to use caution when navigating through this section of the waterway between the Paul Rardin park boat ramps location (26 45.363N, 080 41.498W) and just north of Palm Beach Glades Airport location (26 47.309N, 080 41.947W). Four (4) obstruction buoys with solar powered lights, reflectorized hazard warning and symbol will be placed at the outermost edge of cofferdams obstructing the waterway to delineate the cofferdam location and guide boaters through the work zone area. Also, two (2) obstruction buoys will be placed in the vicinity of boat ramps. Once the culvert replacements are complete, the cofferdams will be removed and waterway restored. Construction will occur 5 to 6 days a week, with the possibility of night time work. The project is anticipated to be completed in 2016. The Project point of contact is Tim Pernsteiner at 919-282-4674 or tpernsteiner@thalle.com. Chart 11428 LNM: 28/14

This discontinued daybeacon was on the north side of the channel between Redfish Point and Palmetto Point and north-northwest of Salty Southeast Cruisers’ Net Sponsor, Gulf Harbour Marina.

FLORIDA – AICW – FORT MEYERS TO CHARLOTTE HARBOR AND WIGGINS PASS – CALOOSAHATCHEE RIVER
The following change has been approved to the aids to navigation system in the Caloosahatchee River.
CALOOSAHATCHEE RIVER DBN 74 (LLNR 54065) will be permanently discontinued. Chart 11427 LNM: 24/14

Ortona Lock is just east of unlighted daybeacon #1 and flashing daybeacon #2 and normally opens on demand. It is unlikely that the 24-foot horizontal beam limit will be a problem for any pleasurecraft.

Notice to Navigation Interests:
Restricted locking at Ortona Lock, Okeechobee Waterway
Vessels locking through Ortona Lock are restricted to 24 foot in beam width due to unexpected maintenance on the northeast lock chamber gate. The lock remains fully operational in the event of weather or other emergencies. Restrictions are anticipated to remain in place through June 27, 2013 while repairs are completed.

The developing shoal, reported below in this article cherry picked from the latest Local Notice to Mariners, lies directly along the path of the Okeechobee Waterway as it passes through the South Fork of the St. Lucie River, south and west of Stuart, Florida and a hop, skip and jump north of the St. Lucie Canal.

FLORIDA-INTRACOASTAL WATERWAY-ST LUCIE INLET TO FORT MYERS AND LAKE OKEECHOBEE-ST LUCIE RIVER SOUTH FORK: Shoaling.
The Coast Guard has observed significant shoaling in the vicinity of St Lucie River South Fork in the area between St Lucie River South Fork Buoy 30 (LLNR 51090) and the Palm City SR 714 Bridge at mile 9.5 of the Okeechobee waterway. Best water is near the green side of the channel depth as low as 4 feet were found center channel in position 27-10-33.630N/080-15-44.106W. St Lucie River South Fork Buoy 30 (LLNR 51090) has been relocated to position 27-10-42.626N 080-15-48.339W to mark shoaling. Mariners are advised to use extreme caution while transiting the
area. Chart 11428

This shoaling is in a section known as Hell Gate just west of Sewall Point at the mouth of the St. Lucie River and near the easternmost section of the Okeechobee Waterway. The coordinates given in the Notice put the temporary buoy 17A in the middle of Sewall Point, but we have to assume it is near the charted green marker #17. Since the shoaling (charted) is encroaching from the west, favoring the green side of the channel is your best bet.

FLORIDA-INTRACOASTAL WATERWAY-ST. LUCIE INLET TO FT. MYERS AND LAKE OKEECHOBEE: Shoaling.
The Coast Guard has established St Lucie River Temp Buoy 17A in position 27-11-02.516N/080-11 49.228W. The Buoy marks a shoal that is encroaching the St Lucie River from the west. Mariners are urged to use caution while transiting the area.
Chart 11428

Claiborne,
That shoal has been encroaching VERY slowly for many years. It is high time NOAA revised the double dashed channel line; they should have ten years ago!
W.E. “Ted” Guy, Jr.

FLORIDA-OKEECHOBEE WATERWAY ST LUCIE INLET TO FORT MYERS– CALOOSAHATCHEE RIVER–OLD CSX RAILROAD SUBSTRUCTURE: Hazard to Navigation.
The substructure of an old Railroad line next to the existing Seminole Gulf Railroad line across the Caloosahatchee River is deteriorating and parts have been reported floating in the waterway causing a potential hazard to navigation. Mariners are advised to use extreme caution while transiting the area. Chart 11428

We have plotted the Lat/Lon position given in the message below, cherry picked from the latest Local Notice to Mariners, and it appears that the described construction is taking place on the canal-like portion of the Okeechobee Waterway between Clewiston and Moore Haven, probably near charted “Liberty Point.” And, notice that this construction is ongoing until Spring of 2015.
All mariners navigating the OKWW between Clewiston and Moore Haven should be on the lookout for the below described construction vessels, and pass this equipment with minimum wake.
The Salty Southeast Cruisers’ Net is declaring a Navigational Alert for these waters.

FLORIDA-OKEECHOBEE WATERWAY: Herbert Hoover Dike Rehabilitation Project (Update September 28, 2012).
Odebrecht Construction, Inc. will be replacing two culverts along the Okeechobee Waterway near Moore Haven (Culverts 1 and 1A) as part of the overall Herbert Hoover Dike Rehabilitation Project sponsored by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.Construction consists of the steel and earthen cofferdams on both the lakeside and landside of the dike to create a self contained work area. The waterway will be restricted and may be intermittently obstructed during the installation and removal of the cofferdams and during the process of replacing the culverts. Recreational and
commercial boaters are asked to use caution and be prepared to stop when navigating through this section of the waterway between the Alvin L Ward park boat ramps and Uncle Joe’s Fish Camp boat ramps. Flagmen will be present as needed to signal vessels to stop or to proceed with caution. The controlling width through Culvert 1A project area is 20ft minimum, limited by a controlling depth of 6ft when the lake is at elevation +11.0ft Mean Sea Level. Once the culvert replacements are complete, the cofferdams will be removed and waterway restored. Construction will occur 5 to 6 days a week, with the possibility of night time work. The project is anticipated to be completed in spring of 2015. The Project point of contact is Elizabeth Lamborghini at 305-704-5848. Chart 11428Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To A “Navigation Alert” Position on the Okeechobee Waterway Between Clewiston and Moore Haven